Finchè c'è vita c'è speranza
by pryncessJ95
Summary: This story is not in Italian. The title simply means "where there is life, there is hope." Olivia finally gets married to a man she has been with for four years. She adores his little girl and life is perfect. Then tragedy strikes. Can Olivia keep things together when her perfect life is over before it even begins?
1. Chapter 1

Dr. Samuel Collins rolled over to his right to look and pushed his new bride's hair behind her ear. He never thought he would be this happy again. Sam had been dating Olivia for the last four years. Three days ago they finally married and were now celebrating the last day of their honeymoon in Nova Scotia.  
>Olivia Benson felt her husbands touch and smiled.<p>

"Mmmm good morning."  
>"Good morning gorgeous. It's a beautiful day and the ocean looks amazing. Want room service?"<p>

Olivia had finally been in the right place in her life. Four years ago she had given up hope on love. She had given up hope on ever having a family of her own. Then she met Sam. He was a neurologist that was assisting another doctor in a case she was investigating. They had dated for about a year before Sam really began to struggle with Olivia being a sex crimes detective. After about a month of being apart Sam had decided it didn't matter to him and that he couldn't live without her.

"How about we get some fruit and go lay on the beach? Did you call Charlee?"

Sam grabbed his cell phone from the bedside table and shook it at his bride. Charlotte was Sam's eleven year old daughter. Her mother had died from cancer only six months after Charlee was born. Sam had spent seven years as a single father. It was one of the things that made Olivia absolutely crazy about him- he was an amazing dad. She had become very close to Charlee in the past two years. There were even times when heard the girl refer to her as her mother. Three weeks before the wedding Sam and Olivia had talked to Charlotte about Liv legally becoming her guardian. They were officially going to become a family.

Sam tapped his "home" icon on his cell phone and put it on speaker.

"Good morning married people." Charlee's full time nanny picked up the phone.

"Good morning Kate. How was the soccer game last night?" Sam asked.

"A. mazing. Charlee girl scored a goal and had two assists."

"I got lucky!" They heard the voice of their eleven year old come through the speaker phone. "What time will you guys be home tomorrow?"

Liv took the phone from her husbands hand. "Early in the morning- so we will be waiting for you when you get home from school. We miss you sweet heart."

"Miss you guys too. Don't forget to bring me back some sand."

"Don't you have a big science test today? Did you study enough?"

"Of course- but I don't really need to study. I'm a certified genius remeeeemmber?"

Liv rolled her eyes and both her and Sam let out a small laugh. The truth was Charlotte really was a genius, but not only that she was incredibly mature for her age. There were times when they had to remind themselves as parents that she was in fact just a little girl.

Sam yelled from the other side of the room. "Hey certified genius doesn't get you out of putting in effort."

"Yes dad I know. Welp it's seven forty... I have to go my ride is here. I will text you after my test. Love you guys! See you in the morning."

"Love you too baby. You'll do great." Liv tossed the phone on the bed and went over and put her arms around her husband. She was quite literally in paradise.


	2. Chapter 2

Liv and Sam had been home just a little over three days. It was their first Monday back to work since their wedding. Sam gave Kate the rest of the week off because she spent the entire last week being so great to Charlee. At one point the two discussed whether it was necessary to have a nanny any longer. Charlee was becoming very self sufficient and now that Liv was around for the long haul they weren't sure the girl needed three adults looking after her. However, due to the demands of both of their careers they decided that is was best to keep Kate around until Charlee could drive- or at least ride metro alone. The couple was very aware that their spouse may get a phone call at 2am summoning them to work. There had yet to be a point when they both had to go to work in the early morning, but they knew it was sure to come.

The couple loved the usual Monday morning comotion. They made certain they had breakfast together as a family and afterward one of them would drop Charlee of at school on the way to work. Liv had moved into Sam's condo in Brooklyn Heights about seven months before they got married. She couldn't believe she was sharing her personal space with another person... another two people. However, the transition was pretty easy for all three. There were times when Liv wasn't sure what the boundaries were between her and at that time ten year old Charlotte, but the little girl had been so happy to have a female influence in her life that she rarely gave Liv any trouble.

Liv shoved half of a chicken salad sandwich and grapes into Charlee's lunch box.

"Do you want carrots or celery?" She held up both vegetables in her two hands.

"Bleeeeh" The little girl was unimpressed.

"Carrots it is." Liv put a small baggie of baby carrots in the light purple lunch box. "Here." She handed the lunch box to Charlee to put in her backpack.

"Can I just get a salad and a Starbucks at lunch like everyone else does?"

Sam eyed Olivia from the table. "No coffee. You are way too young to get started on that crap." He told his daughter. "And you need to eat more than a salad. Take the lunch Olivia made you." Sam hated that the school let the kids go to Starbucks. Granted him and Olivia both drank coffee, but as a physician he was well aware children did not need to be drinking that much caffeine. He knew when he started her in that school he would have to deal with some upper class pretentious ass families that he would never want his daughter to be around. However, it was one of the best schools in Brooklyn Heights and with the money that was left to her from her mothers trust fund and his salary he could easily afford the thirty three thousand dollar a year tuition. He just didn't want his little girl becoming a prep school brat. Fortunately he now had Olivia around to help keep her grounded.

Sam had thought he was pretty strict with Charlotte when she was young, and Charlee was already such a great kid. However, meeting Olivia could not have come at a more perfect time. Charlee was growing into a young woman and beginning to challenge her father on things that he knew nothing about. Like this salad thing. Charlee had mentioned to Olivia once that all the girls in seventh grade only ate salads for lunch. Sam really didn't think too much of it- even being a physician. He thought salads were a healthy lunch choice and shrugged it off. Liv brought the matter up later discussing with him some concerns about that being too small of a meal for a growing girl that did some type of athletic activity almost everyday of the week. Olivia had seen things like this happen too many times throughout her career. She never thought Charlee would do anything to hurt herself, but she knew the pressure girls could put on other girls at that age. She had such a protective instinct for Charlee. Even when they were just getting to know each other. Liv wasn't sure if this was from her job or that she naturally just had a maternal instinct or maybe a little of both.


	3. Chapter 3

"Wecome back Detective ... are we calling you Benson still?" Munch tossed a paper wad at Olivia.

Liv chuckeled. "Yes. We are still calling me Benson. For now... What's been going on? Get me up to date."

Nick plopped down on the corner of her desk and handed her a very thin file. "Teenage girl ran away and found naked in Central Park. Won't speak a word to us. Finger prints ID'd her as Hannah Morris. Seems she did one of those safety finger print programs as a kid."

"Her parent's here?"

"No. Not yet. Mother sounded distraught on the phone. They are on their way now."

"Want me to go talk to her?" Nick shrugged his shoulders, but he knew Liv had a knack for communicating with vic's that he would never have.

Olivia peered through the glass at a young girl that looked no older than sixteen. The teen was now wearing a navy NYPD t shirt and a pair of sweats. She took a second to study the girl. Hannah seemed to fidget quite a bit. Her blonde hair was matted to the side of her face and had run from her eyes down to he jaw line. Liv always wished her mind didn't go directly to Charlotte every time a case involved a teen girl. She guessed that came with being a mother. Constant worry.

She tapped on the door and went in. "Hannah? I'm Detective Benson." Hannah didn't look at Liv. In fact, she didn't respond at all.

"I'm here to help you. I know your scared and I know that something must have happened to you to be this upset. Can you tell me how you got to the park?" Still nothing. Her hands just kept fidgeting with a necklace. "Hannah, can you tell me where you go to school?" Silence.

Liv watched as she opened a necklace that was full of charms. She recognised it as an Origami Owl necklace. She only knew this because Charlotte and her friends all shared one with a similar charm. All Liv could see of the charms in Hannah's necklace was a pink H and one angel wing charm hanging on the outside of the actual locked.

"I like your necklace. My daughter has one like that. She would love that angel wing of yours. She has been asking for new charms every chance she gets." Liv noticed Hannah's eyes turn towards her when she mentioned the word daughter. "Where did you get that one?"

"It was a gift." The girl whispered.

"I see. That was nice. Did your parents give it to you?"  
>Hannah shook her head no. Just then a knock at the door. Detective Rollins popped her head in the door.<p>

"Liv, her parents are here." Hannah's parents pushed their way into the interrogation room. Liv exited the room and watched through the glass with Rollins as the girls parents cried and hugged the girl. Hannah didn't seem to even notice they were there. Liv saw her mother grab her the girls chin and pull her face towards her. At that point Hannah seemed to fall apart. She cried with her parents and wouldn't let go of the tight hold on her mother. Liv knew something happened to this girl. She prayed it didn't come from her parents.

Nick stuck his head through the doorway. "Liv, Cragen wants to see you." She nodded her head and started towards the captains office.

"Have a seat." Cragen closed the door behind her. Liv was sure

"I'm good I have to get back to the Vic."

"Sit down Olivia." Cragen said sternly. Liv shrugged her shoulders and plopped in the chair. She was almost certain she hasn't done anything on her first day back to deserve a lecture yet. "There has been an accident Liv. It's Sam and Charlotte."

Olivia felt like someone punched her in the stomach. She shook her head. "What? No they are fine. I just left them a couple hours ago."

"They were t-boned in a car accident this morning. They are both in the hospital. They car caught fire and Sam's wallet was not on him. They weren't able to get an ID'd until Charlotte regained consciousness."

"She was unconscience? Is she injured? Is Sam ok?" Olivia felt so sick. The room was spinning and she couldn't get answers out of Cragen fast enough.

"I don't know Liv. The hospital said you need to get there. Charlotte became hysterical when she woke and kept asking for you when they wouldn't take her to her father." Liv stood up to leave. "Rollins is driving you." Liv began to contest. "It's not up for debate. Go."

Rollins kept the lights on all the way to the hospital. She pulled up to the emergency doors and Liv did not even wait for her to come to a complete stop before she got out of the car. She entered the ER and said Sam's name at the front desk.

"Are you a relative?"

"I'm his wife, where are they?" Liv made her lack of patience very evident to the nursing staff.

The nurse stood up and directed her to a doctor that was wearing light blue scrubs. He was covered in blood.

"Hi. Mrs. Collins?" Liv shook her head. The sound of the name took her by surprise but she couldn't pay any mind to that right now. "Your husband and daughter are both alive. He is in surgery right now, we had to call in a buddy of his in neuro to come in and relieve some pressure off his brain. It will be a couple hours. Your daughter is in ICU. She is pretty banged up as well and will need surgery for her broken leg. Right now though she needs you. We had to give her a sedative to calm her down and ensure she was not going to hurt herself any further. I will take you to her."

Olivia couldn't keep track of all the news she had just heard. Sam in surgery- Charlee hysterical- broken leg-alive. She followed the doctor through the hall into the ICU. She had been here so many times to speak with victims. She knew where she was going, but she followed anyways.

"The nurses are prepping her for surgery now. I need you to stay calm when you see her so that she will stay calm." Liv shook her head. "Mrs. Collins, I'm serious. She already has several injuries that we don't need made worse by her trying to get up and run out again."

Olivia took a deep breath. She wondered what kind of doctor could ask a parent to keep calm when they saw their injured child, but then she reasoned with herself that his job was to protect his patient- not her mother. The doctor pulled back the curtain and let Liv through.

The first thing she saw was Charlee's face. Her strawberry blonde hair was matted to the side of her face and caked with blood. She had IVs and wires running all around her. Her hand and forearms had blood stains and burns on them. Her plaid school uniform had been cut off and she was now barely covered in a hospital gown. Her left leg was covered in a sterile dressing and in a splint.

"She has a compound fracture in her left leg. I need to place rods through her marrow to ensure the fractured site heals properly." The doctor spoke to Olivia as she moved towards the girl.

"Baby... Oh your okay." Liv was trying to assure the girl, but it sounded more as if she was trying to convince herself. She pushed the girls hair back off her face.

"Moooooom..." The girl cried out and put her arms around Liv. "They won't let me see daddy. They gave me something, I can't get up."

"He is in surgery sweetheart. I can't see him either. We need to get you fixed up so when he is out you can see him."

"I am fixed up. I'm fine." The girl shook her head and retreated back away from Liv's touch. "Please, Liv." Charlotte often alternated between calling her mom and Liv. For the past couple months she typically used Mom, but when she became angry or was made to do something she didn't want to she reverted back to Liv.

"Charlee your leg is broken. I want to see your daddy too. I know how much it's hurting you to not make sure he is okay, but we have to let the doctors do their job." Liv spoke words to the girl that she was struggling to follow herself. She wanted to blast through the hospital to find her husband and make sure he was okay too, but she knew she had to be strong for Charlee.

"Noooo, I'm not going anywhere but to my dad." Charlee crossed her arms and looked away from Liv.

"Charlotte, please don't make me force you. You have to go into surgery. " Liv grabbed her arms and pulled one out so she could hold her hand. "Listen, you know how when your soccer coach makes you run for most of your practice and you always tell your friends that the sooner you start the sooner you finish, and that no matter how much they complain they will end up running anyways?" Charlee shook her head at Liv. "We'll think of this that way. Baby, you have to do it, just go with the nurse so it can be over."

Charlee wiped her tears from her face and nodded her head. "Okay. Just hurry so I can see my dad."

Liv stood up and kissed her little girl on the head. "I love you sweetheart. Be my strong Charlee girl." She watched as they raised the rails on the bed and began to wheel out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Liv made her way into the surgical waiting area. She found Rollins sitting in one the chairs texting on her phone. "You didn't need to stay." Liv told her.

Rollins just ignored her. "How are they?"

"Both of them are in surgery. Sam has pressure in his skull and Charlee has a broken leg." She sat in the chair next to Rollins.

"They are going to be okay Liv..." Olivia made no attempt at responding. "Cabot is on her way." ADA Alex Cabot had become such a good friend to Olivia and her family. Alex would often come by and take Charlee out into the city and spoil her in their "days'o fun" as they called it. Cabot had been fostering a young girl that went through the system three years ago. Kennedy was only a few weeks older than Charlotte. Alex wanted nothing more than to adopt the girl, but each time they went in front of the judge Alex was denied adoption rights due to various reasons, which included things like single woman and stressful job. At this point they were together and still fighting to make it permanant. Over the past couple years the two families had been on several play dates and a couple vacations together. It was great for Liv to have one of her friends be so new to motherhood at the same time she was. Kennedy and Charlotte began playing soccer together this past year. It was so heart warming for the two woman to be able to share simple soccer mom stories together.

Hours past as the three women waited for some type of update. Liv felt like it was days. Finally a good friend of Sam's entered the waiting room. His name was Ryan Leake and Liv knew he must have been the surgeon operating on Sam. They had been to his home a couple times for Christmas parties and one or two cookouts.

Olivia stood to great him. "Ryan... is he okay?"

"Liv, have a seat." He motioned for her to sit back down between Alex and Rollins. Olivia was really tired of people telling her to sit down- she knew it meant bad news.

"No, I am fine. Just tell me."

"He is out of surgery and we were able to stop the bleeding. However, too much time had passed before we could stop the bleeding in his brain. He is breathing, but he is in a coma. We are unsure at this point if Sam will be able to regain consciousness. I am sorry Liv, but we will need you to decide if you want to keep him on life support."

Olivia fell to her knees. She cried out for her husband and put her face in her hands. Alex got down on the floor next to her friend and put her arms around her. Liv was begging for it not to be true. Over and over she only said the words "please" and "no". Liv felt the room close in around her. She wasn't sure if she would be sick or even be able to catch her breath. She let Alex hold her while the minuets passed and she started to gain control of herself.

Alex helped Liv back into her chair, but Olivia hadn't said any other words at this point. She just stared in front of her. Alex knew Liv didn't want to be consoled. She would rather her friend just simply sit beside her and not ask her to talk. So that's what they did. For forty minutes the three women sat in the hospital chairs and didn't speak to each other. Until finally Liv looked at Alex. "Charlee..." was all she said.

Alex knew Liv meant for her to find out if Charlee was out of surgery, but she also knew that Liv's heart was breaking for the girl because she knew how much it was going to kill Charotte to tell her about her father. It hurt Liv so much to see Charlotte broken and mangled from the wreck and now she would have to watch her have her heart broken. Sam was Charlee's everything. She was such a daddy's girl. How was she going to tell a little girl she may never be able to hear her father's voice again, or that Sam would never watch her score a soccer goal again, or help her with her Biology homework? It wasn't fair for either of them. Liv wanted nothing more than to fall apart and grieve for her new husband, but she knew she had to be there for their daughter. If Sam ever wanted anything in the event something happened to be him it would be that Liv raised Charlee and made sure she was able to have a good life. This had come up when Sam and Olivia got engaged and began starting talking about Liv adopting Charlotte. Sam was very insistent that the two create a will together- and so they did.

"Hello...Mrs. Collins?" A young lady in a white lab coat entered the waiting room.

Liv stood up and shook her head. "Yah. That's me." Hearing someone call her Mrs. Collins for the second time today felt like another jab into her stomach. If she had stopped thinking about losing Sam in the last ten seconds, here the world was to remind her.

"I'm Dr. Sampson. I assisted in your daughter's surgery. She is out of surgery and she is doing great. We will be wheeling her into a room to stay for the night. I can take you to her room so you can be there when she wakes if you'd like."

Rollins and Alex stood up behind Liv. Rollins reached to hug Liv and tell her goodbye for the day. Alex however, had to intention of leaving. She followed the doctor and her friend into a private hospital room. The nice setup crossed her mind, but then she remembered Charlee was the daughter of a surgeon. She assumed that even though Sam did not practice at this hospital very often, people still knew of him and wanted to do right by his family.

"She should be able to return to the room in about five minutes. She will still be pretty drowsy from the anethesia. When she wakes up she will be in quite a bit of pain. We would like her to stay in the hospital for the next three days, just to be sure she is healing correctly." The young doctor placed her hand on Liv's shoulder. "And... I am very sorry to hear about your husband. Please, if you need anything at all don't hesitate.."

Liv shook her head and then turned away. She made an attempt to seem as if she were looking out the window of the hospital room, because she knew if she made eye contact with the doctor she would break down again.

As the two woman sat in the room alone together all you could hear was the ticking of the clock on the wall. "Liv, do you want me to go to your place and get some clothes for you and Charlee?" Alex noticed Liv's eyes respond to her as if she were snapping back to reality.

"Can you just stay for now?" Olivia felt Alex reach down between the two chairs and grab her hand.

"Of course. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"What am I going to say to Charlee? You should have seen her before they took her to surgery. She was hysterical because they wouldn't let her see Sam. It was almost as if she knew something was not right... and I made her go." Liv began to tear up. "And now... she will never get to hear his voice again."

"Don't do that. Don't feel like any of this is your fault. Yes, this will be hard for Charlotte, but you know what Liv? It's hard for you too. You have to grieve together. Even though you are the adult, it's still okay to fall apart sometimes. You just found out your husband may never wake again...it's your turn to let people help you." Alex gripped Liv's hand tighter.

Just then the door to the hospital room came open and a tech rolled in the hospital bed. In it laid a sleeping Charlotte. She already had her leg in a bright green cast that fit the length of her entire leg. The tech placed the IV bag back on the stand and in behind him came Dr. Sampson.

The doctor began touching Charlee's hand. "Charlee...we need you to wake up now." Charlee began to respond with small moans but chose not to open her eyes. "Mom? You want to try and get her awake?"

Liv stood beside the hospital bed. She wasn't sure if she wanted to wake Charlee or not. Part of her wanted to let her sleep so that her heart would remain innocent and unscathed for just a little while longer. However, Liv reached out and ran the back of her fingers down Charlee's cheek.

"Charlee girl..." Liv said in a hushed tone. "Wake up baby." Again Charlee responded with a few moans. "Charlotte... sweetheart open your eyes." She grabbed Charlee's chin and moved it toward her. Charlee began to open her eyes. "Yes... that's it. Hi sweet girl. Your surgery is over."

Charlee cried out a little. "Mom... it hurts." The doctor shook her head and told Charlee she would be right back. Liv assumed this was to get her some pain medication. "Can I sit up?" The girl reached around for the controller for the hospital bed. Alex hopped up and helped her get the bed in a position where she was no longer laying on her back. "Is daddy out of surgery?"

The two women looked at each other. Liv took a slow deep breath. "Yes, baby he is out." She grabbed Charlotte's hand with both of her hands.

"Well, where is he? Can I go see him?" Charlee could tell something was wrong by the way her mother was acting.

"No baby, not right now."

"I need to go now. Just get me a wheel chair or something. It's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore." Charlee began to get upset with Liv.

"Sweetie, listen to me. Your dad is out of surgery, but it didn't go as well as they thought. He..." Liv began to cry.

Alex took over for Liv. "Charlee, your daddy is in a coma. He had too much bleeding in his brain."

Charlotte shook her head and pulled her hand back from Olivia's. "Well... well people wake up from coma's all the time. He's alive. He will be okay."

"They don't know. The doctor said he is not sure if your father will be able to regain consciousness. I'm so sorry." Alex tried pushing Charlee's hair away from her face but the girl jerked away and turned toward Olivia.

Liv sat down on the side of the bed and wrapped her arms around Charlee. At first Charlee began to pull away, but she felt how tight her mother was holding her and sunk into Liv's chest. Charlee sobbed so hard that Alex was not sure if the kid could breathe. However, Liv didn't let her go. She rocked the girl in her arms back and forth while the two of them cried together. Alex Cabot had seen so many sad things in her career with SVU, but this was heart wrenching. Watching her best friend and her little girl fall to pieces was too much. Alex began to cry herself, but she stepped back and sat in the chair and let the two grieve the loss of their loved one.


	5. Chapter 5

Liv heard the door to the hospital room open. She had been laying beside Charlotte in the bed. Charlee had fallen asleep from the meds the doctor had given her.

"Olivia, do you want to go see Sam now?" Ryan approached the side of the bed.

Liv turned around to see if Charlee had awoke. She turned back to her husbands friend and shook her head. "Yes, but Charlee needs to go too. She will be so angry when she wakes if she doesn't."

"Liv, let her sleep. As soon as she wakes up we can take her straight over to see her father." Liv got up and brushed the girls hair from her face. She bent down and kissed her forehead lightly.

She turned to the door and followed Ryan out of the hospital room. She turned quickly to look at Alex. "If she wakes up..."

Alex cut her off. "I will get you immediatly. It's okay Liv, I got it."

Olivia stepped into Sam's room. She could hear the repeating beep of the heart moniter. Once inside she stood next to her husband. His head was wrapped in white gauze and his face was severely bruised. She grabbed his hand with the heart monitor attached. "I'm here Sam." She half expected him to grab her hand in return. She hoped..wished. "Charlee girl is okay."

She turned behind her to realise the doctor had left the room. She pulled up and chair beside her husband and sat beside his bed. She let tears fall down her face. "Sam Collins listen to me. I need you to be okay too. Charlee needs you to be okay. You pull through this, do you hear me?" Liv reached up and touched her husbands face softley.

About an hour had passed and Liv had fallen asleep. She heard a slight knock on the door. Ryan came in the room followed by Alex and a nurse pushing Charlee in a wheel chair.

"You're out of bed." Liv said to Charlee. The girl's eyes shifted to glance at her mother, but moved right back to her father without any response. The pain in her eyes was evident. The nurse rolled her to the opposite side the bed.

Charlotte just sat in her chair staring at her father. She didn't make a move to touch him and she didn't say anything. Alex and Olivia watched her and assumed she was seconds away from another melt down. Liv would have been okay with that. Eleven years olds are entitled to melt downs when they could lose someone they love. So are wives...she thought.

"Charlee- are you okay hunny?" Charlee looked up at Liv and shook her head, but Liv knew she wasn't. She decided to let the girl handle her grief in her own way.

For three hours the two sat next to Sam. Alex had left to get them some clothes and check on Kennedy, who at the time was at her grandmothers. Neither of the girls felt like talking. Liv noticed Charlee wince when she would adjust her weight in the wheel chair. She knew it was probably time for Charlee to take pain meds again, but the girl knew it would make her fall back asleep.

"Charlee, I think we may need to go back to your room so that the nurse can give you some pain medication."

"No, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt." Charlee shook her head but did not make eye contact.

"Sweetie, I know it hurts. You don't have to be strong. It's okay, we can go get your meds and come back in a couple of hours." Liv stood up out of her chair.

"I don't want to. You can go back if you want, but I am staying here."

Just then a nurse pushed the door open. "Charlotte? We need to move you back to your room and change the bandages on your arms again."

Charlee sighed and glared at Liv. The timing was quite ironic, however Liv was happy she didn't have to be that bad guy and force Charlee back to her room.

"I'm coming back when we are done." Charlee said matter of factly.

"We know sweetheart." Liv followed her and the nurse outside the door. It was odd for her to see Charlotte act in such a difficult manner. Liv knew it was because she was upset about her father and was fine with the girl giving her a little bit of attitude for the time being. It was just so unlike her.

For the next three days the girls followed the same routine. Moving back and forth between rooms. There were a few melt downs for both of them in the process, but the two remained strong for the other when one would fall apart.

When Charlee had become strong enough to go home, leaving was not easy. Alex and Liv had to physically pick up the girl to get her into the car. Even after the nurse made her learn to use the crutches, Charlee refused to stand up on her own. The nurse had given her typed instructions to care for Charlee's leg for the next several months. There would be several weeks of therapy and doctors appointments. There was even the possibility of another surgery if the leg didn't heal properly.

When the two got home, Charlee finally gave the crutches a chance. They had very little trouble getting up to the apartment.

"I'm going to order something for dinner. I am just too tired to cook. Any suggestions?" Liv looked over to the couch for a response. Charlee shrugged her shoulders. "Okay... are you not hungry?" Again a shrug. "Well, I think Alex is going to being Kennedy back over for dinner. I'll just see what they want." Liv picked up her cell phone and started calling Alex. She looked over at the couch and sighed. She put the phone down and made her way over the Charlee. Liv picked up two of the throw pillows from a chair and lifted Charlee's broken leg off the coffee table to put them underneath.

"Doctor said keep the elevated as much as possible."

"K. It's up." The girl said.

Liv sighed again. "Charlotte, listen. I know you're hurting. I'm hurting too- so I get that. It's okay to be upset and cry, but just know I'm not going to let you stop talking to me. I'm going to keep asking you everyday how you're feeling, and I am going to make you do what you need to do to get your leg to heal. There is no right way to grieve sweetheart. You do what you need to do, but I'm not going anywhere ok? You have to continue to be you though. That's what your father would want."

Charlee's eyes began to tear up. "What's going to happen to me?"

"What do you mean? You're going go to physical therapy and you're going to get better- physically and emotionally. It will take time though." Liv was happy Charlee had at least responded to her.

"No- I mean... where am I going to live now?"

"Live? You're going to live here..." Liv had the sudden realisation that Charlee must have been asking herself this for the last three days. "Charlee... are you worried that without your father here that you and I won't be together anymore?" Charlee shrugged. "Well you listen to me. I didn't want to adopt you because I loved your father... I want to adopt you because I love you. You are MY little girl no matter what happens. Your father appointed me as your guardian if anything like this should ever happen, so even though we did not get the adoption process through yet, I am still legally your mother. Are you okay with that Charlee?"

Charlee turned towards Liv and wrapped her arms around her. Liv couldn't believe she didn't think about this. It made her heart ache that Charlee had even thought about this. "I will take that as a yes." Liv smoothed the girls hair down in the back of her head. "I love you baby. Forever..okay?"

"I love you too mom." The girl retreated back into her seat on the couch. She wiped her tears from her face. "Can we have pizza? I've been starving for the last three days."

Liv snorted and shook her head. "Of course. Keep that leg up and here is the remote to the tv."

An hour later Alex sat across from the island talking to Liv. Kennedy and Charlee watched a Glee marathon on tv.

"So, are you taking some time off work?" Alex asked Liv.

"Yah, I called Cragen earlier. I am at least taking the week off. I don't know when Charlee will be ready to go back to school. The doctor said as soon as she feels up to it she can go back, but I am at least going to keep her home for the rest of this week."

"Kennedy and I can stop by her school tomorrow and get her work if you'd like." Alex slowly moved her finger around the rim of her wine glass. "Have you thought about Sam?"

"Every second of the day, but I am assuming that is not what you mean."

Alex turned and looked at the girls to ensure they were not in ear shot. "Liv, I was there when you made your wills together. I know Sam does not wish to remain on life support if he does not have brain activity. Do you know what you are going to do?"

Liv uncomfortably shifted her weight to the other foot. "I don't know. Miracles happen all the time right? And what about Charlee? I don't want her to think that I am the one who chose to let her father die."

"Liv, you are not letting him die. This is not your fault. You are respecting his wishes."

"Well, if we get to a point where there is consistently a lack of brain activity I guess we will cross that bridge... but right now, right now we hope. And I focus on getting that little girl better."


End file.
